"Driving" our horses

I drive 70 miles round trip each day, which leads me to wonder what "driving" habits I bring to the farm with me.

Most obvious, is the infamous chair seat. If I don't pay attention to my position, I find my torso caving in and my hip flexors tightening so that I can be in that nice fetal position our cars... and office chairs... allow us to comfortably acquire for hours at a time.

Hitting the brake and expecting an immediate response is another. Our cars don't need a warning tap to let them know we are about to ask for them to slow down. The same does not apply to our horses!

On the opposite side, I keep my foot firmly pressed on the gas pedal at all times... unless I am slowing. My horse, on the other hand, should not require that I keep the forward aid at all times. If I ask my horse to go forward into trot, he should stay in trot until I apply the slowing aid... not when I relax the driving aid.

Let us never forget steering with our hands! My horse will not turn properly from just my hands and my car will not turn properly from my seat and legs.

Lastly, we must remember the habits we can happily keep in both driving and horse riding... safety. Having been in some pretty hairy car and riding accidents, I am always the first to advocate safety equipment. Seat belts and riding helmets have saved my life and should be worn whenever possible.

Now, if only we could figure out how to more efficiently clean up after both!